Dancing Away Her Broken Heart
by WordsObsessed
Summary: He hesitated, then – "Would you like to dance?" Seven years ago, she would have died before dancing with James Potter. This year, she said yes.


The annual Advent Ball was in full swing in Hogwarts' Great Hall, and Lily Evans was being twirled across the dance floor to the tumultuous applause of her peers. Together with Sirius Black, they made the most beautiful couple of the night – Sirius dressed darkly with his black hair loose in a careless fashion, and Lily light itself, her fiery hair more than complemented by a golden set of dress robes.

Sirius spun her one last time, and then dipped her back so far that the tips of her curls brushed the marble floor. The applause reached its climax and he grinned, soaking it up for a second before pulling Lily back to her feet and bowing deeply. She smiled at him, and at the gleam in his eye. Sirius Black was an excellent dancer and he knew it – those last few minutes of display had given him more enjoyment than any prank on McGonagall.

"Thank you, kind sir," she said.

He laughed and tipped his head to her. "Anytime my lady."

There was a moment of quiet in which both of them almost spoke, before Sirius' eye was caught by a tall, pretty blonde girl swathed in crimson.

"Oi! Oi, Marlene!"

She turned, a half smile on her painted lips as her eyes flicked him up and down.

"Black?"

"Fancy a dance?"

"With you?"

He rolled his eyes and ran towards her – she squealed, but too late, she was already flung over his shoulder and being carted into the centre of the dancing couples. Lily laughed at her best friends; she knew it was only a matter of time until they gave up this game, but until then she would not be the only one who enjoyed watching their increasingly extreme displays of flirtation.

"Hello Lily."  
The words were spoken quietly behind her and made her jump – and then scowl in disgust as she saw that the owner of the low voice was a greasy-skinned, greasy-haired young man in black.

"What do you want?" she spat.

"Yeah Snivellus, what do you want with Lily?"

Lily jumped again as a hand appeared on her back and James' voice accompanied it, but she couldn't pretend she didn't mind – if anyone was going to remove Snape quickly and efficiently from her proximity, then it would be James Potter.

The two boys stared each other down, hate radiating between them. Lily had long since stopped wondering what it was that had made these two boys hate each other _quite _as much as they did, but always took her aback a little. They looked as if they were ready to kill each other.

This continued for a few seconds until Snape broke their gaze to look back at Lily, his eyes hungry, hating, and grieving.

"Have a nice evening," he said after a beat, before turning and walking away.

"That's right," James called. "Keep walking Snivellus! Right into the Black Lake, please!"

The people around them laughed, but Lily didn't. She might have these days, but tonight she wasn't in the mood.

"Thank you James," she said instead.

He shrugged as if it had been nothing, but couldn't entirely hide his pleased expression. "Anytime." He hesitated, then – "Would you like to dance?"

Seven years ago, she would have died before dancing with James Potter. Six years ago, she would have ignored him and continued talking to Marlene. Five years ago, she would have glared at him for daring to ask her. Four years ago, she would have told him to dance with his own ego as it was big enough to be another person. Three years ago, she likely would have slapped him. Two years ago, she would have politely refused. Last year, she would have been tempted.

This year, she said yes.

A hush fell over the Great Hall as James Potter and Lily Evans took to the dance floor. James didn't have Sirius' talent for dancing, but he did have ease, style, and grace. He made dancing with him effortless.

Or maybe that was just being in his arms.

That night Lily danced away her broken heart. She danced away the grief that had settled on her since the death of her parents. She danced away the pain of losing Petunia, her once-beloved sister, soon after. She danced away the pain of losing Snape, the childhood friend who'd introduced her to everything that now made up her world. And she danced away nearly seven years of guilty twinges and pangs of remorse for continually rebutting the jokes, the attention, the love of James Potter in whose arms she now danced, feeling safer and warmer than she'd ever done in her life.

His green, green eyes sparkled as hers rose to meet them, and a soft blush spread across his face – a face which, to James, had never looked lovelier.

He had never been more in love.

The same thought would occur to him at their wedding reception two years later as he waltzed around the dance floor with an ivory-clad Lily, one hand on her slender waist and the other clasping her delicate fingers.

He had always been in love with Lily Evans, and yet he had never been more in love with her. He would always love her more than he did yesterday, but would never be able to love her as much as he would tomorrow, when she would do something else to make his heart sing even louder.

Lily saw this, studying his handsome face as they danced, and she felt it in her own heart. Their love would be all-consuming, infinite, and eternal. It would never fade, never burn out, whatever happened to them. Their hearts would stop, their bodies turn to dust, but the pure _power _of their love would succeed their mortal limits.

They would love until the end of time and beyond.

**A/N: I hope you enjoyed! Please let me know if you did :D x**


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